Kansas-born American mother sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading all-female ISIS brigade

A Kansas-born U.S. citizen and mother of two children was sentenced to 20 years behind bars today for her role leading an all-woman brigade of militants in the notorious terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

Allison Fluke-Ekren "traveled overseas and, from in or about September 2011 through in or about May 2019, engaged in terrorist acts in multiple countries," the Justice Department said in a press release on Wednesday.

Fluke-Ekren "ultimately served as the leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, where she trained women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and suicide belts," the DOJ said, adding that "over 100 women and young girls, some as young as 10 years old, received military training from Fluke-Ekren in Syria on behalf of ISIS."

She reportedly expressed desires to carry out attacks in the United States, including envisioning "go[ing] to a shopping mall in the United States, park a vehicle full of explosives in the basement or parking garage level of the structure,and detonate the explosives in the vehicle with a cell phone triggering device."

She had originally attempted to fake her death prior to her capture. During proceedings, her son and daughter both testified against her; her daughter claimed that Fluke-Ekren "coerc[ed] her to marry an ISIS fighter, who then raped her, when she was only 13 years old."

During the trial her daughter accused her of harboring a “lust for power” and “dark desires.”